Contact: Chris Lofgren, Director of Public Relations (655-2777)

Peoria (Nov. 22, 2006) The OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital was the only facility in the greater Peoria area to be named to the Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals by Solucient, a leading provider of patient quality information in the United States. Solucient maintains the nation’s largest healthcare database, comprised of more than 26 million patient discharges per year from 2,900 U.S. hospitals. It was from this database that Solucient identified the top performers in cardiovascular medicine.

OSF Saint Francis was one of only six Illinois hospitals recognized by Solucient and the only downstate teaching hospital.

The annual Solucient award for top cardiovascular services is a result of a very detailed review of treatment standards and survival rates of patients in three categories: heart attack; congestive heart failure; and coronary artery bypass surgery.

The most recent results of these detailed comparisons show cardiac patients survive longer and have fewer complications at OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital.

The specific criteria used by Solucient are based on scientific evidence and correspond with those used by the federal government’s Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the premier accrediting agency for U.S. hospitals.

According N. Kent Wise, M.D., and assistant administrator for cardiac services at the OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital, this recognition is a shared honor. “The treatment of heart conditions is a complex undertaking,” said Wise. “It involves a wide variety of disciplines, departments and skills, from outpatient testing all the way through to care of the patient after treatment in the hospital to Cardiac Rehab. This award is an acknowledgement of the skills and dedication of hundreds of healthcare professionals.”

The 2006 Solucient 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success study appears in the current edition of Modern Healthcare, a Crain’s Communications publication and the leading hospital journal in the United States. (Crain’s also publishes Crain’s Chicago Business.)

The OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital was established in April 2004.

(Editor’s Note: This news release summarizes the significance of the award. More details are available at www.100hospitals.com This Top 100 honor ties in with the recently reported emphasis at the national level to have prompt response in emergency departments for patients presenting with heart attack symptoms. OSF Saint Francis has demonstrated significant leadership in addressing this issue.

(Dr. Wise and others involved with the OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital are available for interview on the importance of this recognition for patients in central Illinois. Contact Chris Lofgren at 655-2777 to make arrangements.)